Whaling harpoon



arch 8, 1949. M. M. MARCUS ETAL I 2,464,048

. WHALING HARPOON Filed Sept. 11, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet I INVENTOR. Mamas M. MARcus BY Nam GABRIELSEN 0 ATTORNEY March 8, 1949. M. M. MARCUS ETAL 'WHALING HARPOON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 11, 1945 mwszvroze. Mamas Mflmws BY News GABRIELQEN 0f ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 8, 1949 ED; STATE S;

ZAb hMd WHa inG rmnroon Morris M. Marcus, Philadelphia, Pa., and Nils Gabrielsen, Brooklyn, N. Y.; said Marcus assignorof his interest to said Gabrielsen and said Gabrielsen as'signor of his interest to said Marcus Application September. 11, 1945, Serial No. 615,528 In Canada July 11, 1946 10 Claims. 1

This invention relates, to whaling harpoons and mere particularly. to improvements in the constructionof that type orharpoon which is designed to be projected from a gun and is fitted with an explosive-charged head.

I leretofore and prior to the present invention,

it-has been the customary practice to provide 1 stead of extending'rnore or less radially of the harpoon shaft they extend lengthwise thereof, with the result that their purchase in the body 01; the whale isso reduced that often the whale is enabled to free itself of the harpoon and is so lost to the haler. Experience has taught that eyen if onlyone of the barbs is displaced from its proper radially extending position, the whale may be lost due to thepfact that the harpoon head skews ofijin the sbody of the whale with consequentreduction in its ability to remain securely anchored in the whale body upon the application ofthe pulling efiort on the harpoon against the weightof the harpooned whale. In addition, in this prior construction of the harpoon one or more of the pivot pins for the barb elements may be sheared off under the drag loadof the harpooned whale with the result that they may be completely displaced from their supporting head with consequent loss of the whale.

Also, it has been found thatin order to accurately project the harpoon toward its target, the whale, itisnecessary that the pointedexplosivechargedhead of the harpoon be maintained. axiallyalined with the harpoon shaft until the instant of-impact, becausein the absence of such alinement the; harpoon tends to wobble in its flight/and so does not-travel true along the line of aim. In order to-insure this axial alinement ofzthe barbedthead. and its shaft, certain of the pivoted barbed elements are normally provided with hooked, extremities which respectively interloclgingly engage shouldered bosses formed on the forward egtrem ity of the harpoon shaft.

igiyi ever ccintir ue d use of; the harpoon eventually causes such wear between these interlock? ing elements that tl'nydov not adequately. hold the. shaft and head in proper alinement, and it becomes necessary then to reshape either the. interlocking hook of the, barb element or the, shouldered boss on the shaft, and sometimes both, in order to provide. for proper; engagement therebetween. Such reshaping is not always eff fecti ve and often results in such damageto, the, barb elements or to the harpoon shaft as to require them to be completely discarded for further use.

The resent invention has. among its principal objects to so improve thev construction of the harp oon as, to obviate the difi iculties and dis-g advantages above mentioned, a specific objectv bleing to provide a construction of the barbed element which cannot possibly swing about its pivot beyond a predeterminedangle, the barbed element as constructed in accordance with. the] present invention including detent means which operate to positively limit the degree of its per-l missible swing outwardly a its support.

A further object is to provide, the barb elements and their support with coacting means operative to retain the elements in anchoring position within the harpooned whale even though the pivot pins therefor be completely sheared off.

A further specific object of the present invention is to provide these barbed elements which engage the harpoen shaft to maintain the head and shaft of the harpoon in axial alinement durmg its flight toward the target with readily ad-v justable'means for interlockingly engaging the shouldered bosses aforesaid. These means are preferably in the form of axially adjustable screws and are so designed that they may engage the said bosses with exactly the force required to hold the head in Steady axial alinement with the harpoon shaft during flight of the harpoon and yet-permit release of the barbed elements, instantly upon explosion of the harpoon head in,

the body of the whale.

Qther objects and advantages of. the present sists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement of parts,

all as will be described in detail hereinafter, as

shown in the accompanying drawings and as finally pointed out in the appended claims. In the said accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, partially in elevation and.- partially in section, showing the head of the 3 harpoon and a portion of the shaft associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a similar view in elevation showing the assembly of Figure 1 as it appears when rotated through an angle of 90 degrees;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the assembly as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is an end elevational view of one of the barbed elements as viewed from the line T'l of Figure l; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the screw-equipped end of the barbed element.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, it will be observed that the present invention relates to a whaling harpoon of the type having an elongated shank or shaft I6 provided at its forward end with an integrally former coupling eye I I. This shank ID of the harpoon is of conventional form, its main body being of cylindrical shape to fit within the bore of the conventional muzzle loading type of gun employed for projecting the harpoon toward its target. The cylindrical shank ID of the harpoon is slotted as at l2 for receiving a slip-ring (not shown) to which is secured the retrieving line by means of which the harpooned whale may be drawn into the whaling vessel. The coupling eye II is provided upon opposite sides thereof with integrally formed bosses or lugs I 3-l3, each of which is provided with a flat seat I4, these seats being disposed in a plane extending transversely of the coupling eye II and normal to the longitudinal axis of the shank I0.

Coupled to the coupling eye II of the shank is the member I5 supporting a plurality of pivotally mounted barbed elements I6. The barb-supporting member I5 is provided with a front end portion I! of generally cylindrical form and with a rear body portion I8 terminating a coupling eye I9, the coupling eye I9 being disposed at right angles to the coupling eye I I and interlocked therewith, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. It will be noted that the body portion I8 of the barbsupporting member I5 is of generally frustroconical shape to provide a supporting surface for the barbs I6, this supporting surface being outwardly flared rearwardly of the member I 5.

The barbs I6 are preferably four in number spaced uniformly about their supporting member I5, and in their inoperative position these barbs normally assume relatively inclined positions shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The cylindrical body portion ll of the member I5 is provided with four pairs of ears 26-20 uniformly spaced circumferentially about said cylindrical body ii. Each pair of said ears 26-26 receives therebetween the forward end of a barb I6, a pivot pin 2I being projected commonly through each pair of ears and the barb embraced therebetween to pivotally support the barb in position. 7

Referring now more particularly to Figure 3, it will be observed that each of the barbs I6 is provided at its forward pivoted end with a freely .extending terminal element 22 which projects inwardly and toward the longitudinal axis of the supporting member I 5 when the barb is in its inoperative or collapsed position, shown in full lines in Figure 3. It will be noted also that the supporting member I5 for the barbs is provided with a pair of intersecting passages 23 and 24 therethrough, these passages being respectively in registry with the spaces formed between opposite sets of the paired ears 26-26. The intersecting passages 23 and 24 thus each extend entirely through the body portion I I of the barb supporting member I5. The said member I5 is internally provided with a square depression 25 to provide a pocket, the cavity of which is in communication with the intersecting transverse passages 23 and 24. The depression 25 is so disposed in relation to the transverse passages 23 and 24 that when the barbs I6 are swung about their respective pivot pins 2i into their fully extended positions, as indicated by broken lines shown in Figure 3, the terminal elements 22 of the barbs respectively engage the corresponding side walls 26 of the depression. These side walls 26 of the depression 25 thus coact with the terminal elements 22 of the barbs to limit the maximum permissible outward swinging movement of the barbs I6 and so insure that the barbs will provide secure anchorages for the harpoon when its head is projected into and the cap exploded within the body of the whale.

A further important feature of this construction is that the terminal lugs 22 of the barbs I6 operate to engage the side wall portions 26 of the cavity 25 in the head I5 to lock the barbs in the head even in the event that the pivot pins are completely sheared through. In such case,

" the terminal lug 22 of a barb l6 whose pivot pin is sheared through engages the element 26 at the same time the outer edge of the barb engages the forward wall of the transverse passage in which the barb is fitted, this being shown by dotted line representation in Figure 4.

As most clearly appears in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the pivoted barb elements I6 are so uniformly spaced about the member I5 as to provide two 7 pairs thereof respectively disposed in intersecting planes, one pair of said barbs being disposed normally in the plane of the coupling eye I9 of the member I5 and the other pair being disposed normally in the plane of the coupling eye II of the shank or shaft II]. The barb elements I6 are all of the same length and of the same general configuration, each being provided at its outer extremity with an inwardly projecting hook element 21 forming a more or less acute angle with the main body portion of the barb element. The terminal ends of the hook-like elements 21 are preferably enlarged as at 28 and in the case of the barb elements which are disposed in the plane of the coupling eye I I, each of the enlarged terminal ends 28 is provided with a tapped hole 29 for reception of a set screw 30.

As most clearly appears in Figures 1 and 3, when the harpoon is initially made ready to be fired at the target, the barbed elements I6 are all swung into their collapsed position With one pair of the barbs respectively in engagement with the lugs or bosses I3 formed on either side of the coupling eye II of the shank I0. In this condition of the harpoon, the coupling eyes II and I9 are axially shifted toward each other so as to effect positive interengagement of the stud 5| formed on the end of the eye II with the socket 52 formed in the head l5 at the base of the coupling eye I9. This interengagement of the stud and socket insures axial alinement of the shaft and' head of the-harpoon, The barbed elements l6 which engage the lugs or bosses 13 are those which: areprovided with the axially adjustable screws and these screws are tightened against= the bosses l3 Wll7h sufiicient force to secure and maintain the harpoon head IS in axial alinement with the harpoon shaft II].

It will be apparent-that regardless of the extent of wear of the shouldered lugs l3 -l3,the

set screw 38 may be adjusted to'compensate, for;

such wear and insure proper interlocking engagement between the barbs i6 and the coupling eye ll of; the shank. In order to prevent outward.

displacement of those barbs which are notinterlockingly engaged with the harpoon shaftduring fight of the harpoon, it is customary to wrap a tie cord (not shown) about all of the barbs, this cord being readily broken by the shock of the explosionwhen the harpoon strikes its target. Theshock cf thisexplosion also releases the barbs 16 from their interlocking engagement with the lugs 13, so that all of the barbs are free to swing radially outwardly of their supporting body l5 and so securely anchor the harpoon within the body of the whale.

The harpocn of the present invention is provided with the conventional spear-headed cap 3!, which is provided with an internal cavity 32 for receiving the explosive charge. This cap is threaded, as at 33, upon the forward end of the head i5, and the latter is provided with a longitudinal bore 3% (see Figure 3) into which is threaded a detonating fuse (not shown). Upon impact and explosion of the charge in the cap 3|, the latter, is of course, shattered in the body of the whal and must be replaced by a new cap for each strike of the harpoon.

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without departing from the real spirit or principles thereof, and it is accordingly intended to claim same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a whaling harpoon of the character described having a shaft and a barb-carrying head linked thereto, said shaft being provided with a pair of oppositely projecting shoulders and said head being provided with a plurality of pivoted barbs, one pair of which are respectively provided at their free extremities with inwardly directed elements adapted to overlap said shoulders when the barbs are in collapsed position, said elements being each provided with adjustable screw means for effecting secure interengagement between said pair of barbs and said shoulders for maintaining said head and shank closely coupled and in axial alinement during flight of the harpoon.

2. In a whaling harpoon of the characted defined in claim 1 wherein said shoulders are respectively provided with flat surfaces disposed in a common plane substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the harpoon shaft, and wherein said adjustable screw means comprises an axially adjustable screw set in each shoulderoverlapping element of the pair of barbs aforesaid.

3. In a whaling harpoon of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said inwardly directed elements of the pair of barbs aforesaid are respectively provided with enlarged terminal ends fitted with axially adjustable set screws for engagingthe-oppositelyprojecting shoulders on theshaft;

4. In a whaling harpoon of the character described having a shaft and a barb-carrying head linked thereto, saidhead being provided with in- .cting passages extending therethrough at right angles. to each other, barb elements respectively pivoted in the outer ends of each said;

passage, and coasting means formed on said barb-elements and in said head to positively limit swinging the maximum permissible outward movement of the barb elements radially of the head, said last-mentioned means including an inwardly directed lug formed atthe inner end of each barb element and lug-engaging movementfined in claim 4 wherein said head is internally provided witha. depression centered with respect-.-

to and opening into said intersecting passages to form solid wall parts respectively extending across the bottom of each passage, said solid wall parts constituting the lug-engaging flanges aforesaid,

and wherein said barb elements are respectively provided at their pivoted ends with freely projecting terminal elements constituting the lugs aforesaid for respective engagement with said wall parts to limit the outward swinging movement of the barb elements.

6. In a whaling harpoon, an elongated shaft member, a barb-carrying head coupled thereto, a plurality of barbs pivoted to said head, oppositely projecting shoulders formed on said shaft member, and axially adjustable set screws respectively fitted in the outer free extremities of at least one pair of said barbs for engagement with said shoulders to securely maintain said head and shaft member in close coupled relation and in alinement during flight of the harpoon.

'7. In a whaling harpoon, an elongated shaft member, a barb-carrying head coupled thereto, a plurality of barbs pivoted to said head and adapted to be outwardly swung from a collapsed inoperative position closely embracing said head into an open operative position extending substantially radially of said head, said head being provided with a transverse passage thereof for pivotally receiving therein the inner ends of a pair of opposed barbs and being further internally provided with a central cavity disposed rearwardly of the transverse plane of the pivoted axes of the barbs, said cavity having marginal portions extending in a direction axially of said barb carrying head and a terminal lug integrally formed on each of said barbs adapted to be shifted into said cavity for engagement with a marginal wall portion thereof when the barbs are swung outwardly into their open operative position, whereby to limit to a maximum permissible degree the outward swinging movement of the barbs.

8. In a whaling harpoon, a barb-carrying head having pivoted therein a plurality of barbs adapted to be outwardly swung from a collapsed inoperative position closely embracing said head into an open operative position extending substantially radially of the head, said barbs being characterised in that the pivoted ends thereof are each provided with a terminal lug extending laterally of the shank of the barb and toward the central longitudinal axis of the barb-carrying head, and detent means disposed rearwardly of the transverse plane of the pivotal axes of the 7 barbs for respective engagement by the terminal lugs of the barbs to limit their outward movement radially of the harpoon head.

9. In a whaling harpoon as defined in claim 8 wherein said detent means is in the form of a plurality of elements integral with said barbcarrying head and disposed respectively interiorly of the pivots of the several barbs.

10. In a whaling harpoon, a barb-carrying REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the head having a plurality of barbs adapted to be 10 file of this patent:

swung from a collapsed inoperative position closely embracing said head into an open operative position extending substantially radially of the head, said barbs being characterised in that the inner ends thereof are each provided with a terminal lug extending laterally of the shank of the barb and toward the central longitudinal axis of said head, said head being provided with lateral slots for respective accommodation therein of the inner end portions of the several barbs, each said slot being interiorly recessed to provide UNITED STATES PATENTS 

